Archive for the ‘Reflections’ category
Do You Really Want to Memorize the Qur’an?
The Qur’an Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII Many of us make excuses for why we cannot memorize the Qur’an. Some of us are too busy. Some of us simply feel it’s too insurmountable a task. However, we make these excuses while having many blessings, countless of which others pray [...]
In Need of Him
By Nabil Ahmed Part I | Part II What do I know anyway? One of my teachers taught us in a class earlier this year: ‘The less you learn, the more you think you know. And the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know!’ This shook me to my core. I [...]
Ramadan Fatigue: One Last Time
By Oussama Mezoui It was early June, if not late May. Mustafa and I were in the middle of a large meal at Behesht Restaurant on the Harrow Road. As always we started off the meal with his favourite Salad Olvieh and Naan bread before moving on to the large Mixed Special Kebab, which although [...]
Ramadan Reflections: Hardships Are Hidden Blessings
By Lauren Tabakhi The pre-Ramadan enthusiasm I felt within me was unmatched compared to any other point in time throughout the year. In prior months before this spiritual season, I regretfully admit to losing sight of many of the priorities and principles that I used to hold so dear. Thus, as Ramadan drew near, my [...]
Ramadan Reflection: Seek Support
Two young women and a young man reached out to me respectively this past week, none knowing the others, but all having gone through a similar experience as children. Each had been the victim of sexual abuse at a very young age, and none of them had really spoken about it for quite some time. [...]
Lessons from a 10-year-old Beggar
After work last week, I decided to take a trip to the local coffee shop. I ordered my iced latte and began my walk home. Coffee in hand, I found myself sandwiched by two small children. I turn to the young boy on my right and smiled, instantly realizing they were walking by my side [...]
The Power of Du`a’
By Zaineb Shebani Du`a’ (supplication) is an incredible power that many of us sometimes don’t fully comprehend—because if we did, we would do whatever is necessary to get our du`a’s answered. Sometimes our du`a’s are answered immediately and sometimes they take much longer than we expect. However, when made properly, du`a’ can transform our lives [...]
A Fresh Page, A Defining Moment: Ramadan This Year
Every person in this world has a life that’s an epic story, full of joys and sadnesses, challenges and opportunities, and ‘defining moments’ – moments in which a person comes to a realization, a deep awareness about themself, and decides to change something inside. Such moments are when a person makes an intense resolve from their [...]
“It doesn’t make any sense…”
By Ruzky Aliyar ‘Why do some things in life not work out the way you want them to?’ said the boy. ‘How do you know that was what you really wanted?’ asked the girl. The boy momentarily froze. This had never occurred to him. If he got what he wanted, it made him happy. If [...]
Fajr: A Short Film
By Adeeb Masood, Areeb Masood, and Yousuf Kidwai As college students, we are well aware of all the worldly aspects in life that can detract us from our faith. Every day we face a struggle with materialism and spirituality, and many times, the former wins out. With constant distractions facing us in our everyday life, [...]
The Stinginess of Jealousy
By Usman Siddiqui Jealousy is a difficult emotion to understand. Yet each of us—or at least, too many of us—suffer jealousy in some dimension from time to time: it may be a sudden impulse, or it may be a deep-seated feeling that grows within you against an individual. Whatever the case may be, our beloved [...]
Taking Notice of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
By Umm Kulthoom Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim (in the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent) When we study, even very briefly, the Most Beautiful Names of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He), we feel our love for Him grow. And when we can recognize His Names during certain moments and experiences in our [...]
Gems From Imam ibn al-Jawzi
In a previous post, I compiled some of my favorite gems from Imam ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah (swt) have mercy on him). Imam ibn al-Jawzi, who is often confused with ibn al-Qayyim, is yet another scholar who has popular works on the heart and soul. Outside of books on purification, ibn al-Jawzi wrote extensively on [...]
His Knowledge of the Hearts and Minds: A Short Lesson
In two similar verses, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) says: وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُ ۚ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ “And know that Allah knows what is in your minds, so fear Him. And know that Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing.” (Qur’an 2:235) And He (swt) says, وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ [...]
Showing Kindness to All Creatures: Lessons From an Azhari Scholar & a Cat
Commentary and Translation by Shazia Ahmad The historic Masjid al-Azhar (Azhar Mosque) in Cairo offers a number of classes and lectures to the public in the rooms that surround its famous courtyard. Along with the usual human attendees, it is also common to see cats seeking to enter through the mosque’s open doors and make [...]
Craving “Middleness”
By Maryam Sakeenah I travel across two worlds in my 20-minute commute between both my workplaces: a modern religious school, and a private grammar school where scions of Pakistan’s moneyed elite are privileged with quality education in tune with modern needs. The mindsets I deal with and the attitudes I encounter make for interesting comparison. [...]
Healing the Hardest of Hearts
By Aisha Bhoori The ambulance was shrieking, and I was the unlucky patient being hurriedly transported to the local hospital. My body lay on a stretcher inside the vehicle, pain shooting through my left arm. “It looks like a massive heart attack,” I heard one of the paramedics whisper. Not knowing the true severity of [...]
Lessons From a Newborn and Mom
By Ismahan Abdullahi One of life’s greatest miracles and gifts bestowed upon us is the blessing of life itself, especially when the life is in the form of a small bundle of joy who welcomes her new surroundings with a beautiful cry that calms the hearts of her parents and the medical staff surrounding her, [...]
As Cheesy As It Sounds
By Fyora Luul For quite sometime now, I’ve been pondering over something quite huge. In Islam, the way to salvation (being saved from the Hellfire and admitted into Jannah (Paradise)) is believing with full conviction that there is NO GOD/DEITY worthy of (your) worship except Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). It’s as simple as that. In [...]
A Strong Believer
I am one of the many people who, on multiple occasions, bemoaned the current status of Muslims around the world for things ranging from anti-shari`ah laws in the U.S. to headscarf bans in Europe to anti-freedom in parts of the “Muslim” world. I used to cry over how we were once a strong, vibrant, intellectual [...]
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